Filmmaker Andrew Napier's fast-paced documentary tells the startling, real-life story of Cenk Uygur, the self-made pundit who created the online news program The Young Turks and was for a while the go-to backup host for Keith Olbermann's old show on MSNBC. A peculiarly American story about self-invention, Uygur's tale begins three decades ago, when the Istanbul-born commentator's desire to be an issue-driven talk show host led him to first launch a public access cable program, and then start a low-rent, Internet-based news and opinion show called The Young Turks. A firebrand who was originally a pre-Tea Party Republican, Uygur scored a hit among viewers for his loud and strong opinions about political hypocrisy and the broken promises of elected officials. Uygur has remained remarkably consistent since, attracting the interest of various cable news outfits, including the aforementioned MSNBC and Al Gore's Current TV (now part of Al Jazeera). Mad as Hell chronicles the creation and rise of The Young Turks brand at a historical moment when online news was a fresh phenomenon just waiting for a driven visionary such as Uygur to take the plunge. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
Mad As Hell
Oscilloscope, 82 min., not rated, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $34.99, Apr. 7 Volume 30, Issue 4
Mad As Hell
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